QOTD: "The president was never interested in working with the opposition in Congress, since he always regarded those who were not on his side politically as not worth the effort to persuade (after all, he believed he had the mandate and the power to roll over them). The 2010 elections and the loss of the House proved disastrous for the White House agenda as a result. When you use straw men to mock the other major political party, while never talking to them, accepting their input, or showing any interest in compromise, it should come as no surprise when the legislative path becomes stagnant for nearly four years. As a result, the president has resorted to executive actions without the consent of Congress or, at times, in seeming contempt or disregard for the law. The Bergdahl decision fits the pattern, which can also be seen in ignoring statutory deadlines and requirements of Obamacare, bypassing Congress in the environmental area to give greater leeway to the EPA to create new law, abusing his recess appointment power, and making unilateral enforcement decisions on immigration policy ." --Rich Baehr